Toggle actuated alternate push rocking latch mechanism for retractable ball pen



Aug. 11, 1959 F. VAN HALTERN, JR TOGGLE ACTUATED ALTERNATE PUSH ROCKING LATCH MECHANISM FOR RETRACTABLE BALL PEN E 9: 7 q A Filed June 5, v1958 a 0 2 2 1 2 8 2 f/o M4/ A 3 4 H1 g 2) ,JM m 3 /J//ufu l IZ 6 4 a a 6 a 4 z n 4 4 TTRNEKS TOGGLE ACTUATED ALTERNATE PUSH ROCK- ING LATCH MECHANISM FOR RETRACTABLE BALL PEN Frank Van Haltern, Jr., Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Scripte, Inc., a corporation of Georgia Application June 5, '1958, Serial No. 740,091

8 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-42.03)

This invention relates to ball point writing instruments and more particularly to an improved operating mechanism yfor such writing instruments in which a writing unit is arranged -for projection and lretraction alternately upon successive depressions of a plunger member.

Briefly described, the operating mechanism of the pressent invention is characterized by a latch member adapted for disposition within a pen barrel at the rear end of a writing unit retractably housed therein and forwardly of a depressible plunger member, and having a substantially rigid toggle member positioned between the rearward portion of the latch member and the forward portion of the depressible plunger member with pivotal means positioned at the extremities of said toggle member and in contact with the rear portion of the latch member and the forward portion of the plunger.

Like the latch member of copending application Serial No. 631,771, tiled December 31, 1956, the latch member of this mechanism is shaped for sliding longitudinally lin the barrel upon depression of the plunger member as well as for selective, transverse, fulcrummed rocking in opposite directions in the barrel. AIn the above mentioned copending application Serial No. 631,771, this transverse, selective, fulcrummed rocking in opposite directions is achieved by the latch member and the depressible plunger member having adjacent ends thereof formed for contact in alternate relations, while in the mechanism of the present invention the toggle member is arranged so that depression of the plunger member causes selective opposite rocking of the latch member as the latch is linearly displaced to project and retract the Writing unit alternatively. By this arrangement it is possible to produce an operating mechanism which may be :molded as one unitary part.

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section detail of a latch mechanism arranged according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding section detail illustrating the operation of the latch mechanism upon a rst projecting depression of the plunger;

Fig. 3 is a further corresponding section detail illustrating the engaged disposition of the latch mechanism at projected position;

Fig. 4 is an additional corresponding section detail illustrating the operation of the latch mechanism during unlatching at projected position upon a succeeding depression of the plunger;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section detail of a modified embodiment of the latch mechanism of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section detail of a further modied embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates at 10 a rear barrel portion for a retractable ball pen, having a screw fitting 12 carried at its forward end Patented Aug. 11, 1959 for conventional assembly with a forward barrel portion (not shown) to form a two-part barrel housing for a writing unit or ball point and reservoir unit 14; the writing uni-t 14 being slidably arranged within the barrel for shifting longitudinally therein between projected and retracted positions in the usual manner, and being biased within the barrel toward retracted position as indicated at 16. The writing unit 14 may be of any suitable form desired, but is preferably of the type disclosed in copending application Serial No. 677,059, led August 8, 1957.

The rear barrel portion 10, while being preferably cylindrical or circular in exterior cross section, has a major forwardly opening, central bore 18 that is generally rectangular in cross section, and a rearward bore 20 of reduced cross` section but likewise generally rectangular in shape. These forward and rearward bores 18 and 20 communicate in such a way as to form longitudinally spaced forward and rear latch shoulders 22 and 24 that face forwardly at opposite sides of the merging rectangular cross `sections thereof.

The operating mechanism of the present invention, as illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises a unitary molded plastic structure incorporating a plunger member 26 slidably disposed within the rear end of the barrel position 10 at the rear bore 20 thereof, a latch member 28, and a toggle means 30 disposed between and connecting the plunger and latch members 26 and 28 at waisted sections 32 and 34 forming flexible couplings at the respective ends of the toggle means 30.

Both the plunger and latch members 26 and 28 are formed with rectangular cross sections proportioned for sliding disposition within the rectangular bores 18 and 28 of the rear barrel portion 1t). The plunger member 26 is arranged in the rear barrel portion bore 2t) so as to project rearwardly therefrom for depression to actuate the operating mechanism, and is preferably formed with abutment shoulders 36 for limiting the extent to which it can be depressed so as to protect the toggle couplings 32 and 34 against undue stress.

The latch member 28 is arranged forwardly of the plunger member 26 in connected relation through the toggle means 30 and rearwardly of the writing unit 14. At its forward end portion, the latch member 28 is formed with laterally extending arms 38 and 48 for respective engagement selectively with the barrel latch shoulders 22 and 24, and is otherwise shaped for sliding longitudinal in the barrel bores 18 and 2t) upon depression of the plunger member 26 and for fulcrummed transverse rocking therein with respect to the rear end of the said writing unit 14 within the barrel bores 18 and 2t). For this purpose, the latch member 28 has fulcrum points 42 and 44 provided intermediate the length thereof, and the forward latch member surface 46 is preferably formed on a bias so that the latch member 28 is given a further tendency to assume one or the other of its oppositely locked positions during operation in the manner explained further below.

The Fig. 1 position of the latch member 28, at which the arm portion 40 thereof is engaged at the rear barrel latch shoulder 24, corresponds to the retracted position of the writing unit 14, and it should be noted that at this position the forward toggle means coupling 34 is displaced (to the left) from longitudinal alignment with the rear coupling 32 at the plunger member 26. Accordingly, a first depression of the plunger member 26 to effect projection of the writing unit 14 from the Fig. 1 position results in exerting a rocking force through the toggle means 30 on the latch member 28 about the fulcrum point 44 thereof, so as to cause the latch member 28 to rock and slide forwardly to the Fig. 2 position,

at which the latch member arm portion is disposed to engage the forward barrel latch shoulder 22 upon release of the plunger member 26 so that the latch member 28 complete this engagement in the Fig. 3 under the force of the biasing means 16 acting rearwardly on the writing unit 14. Y

At the Fig. 3 position, which corresponds with the projected position of the writing unit 14, it should again be noted that the forward toggle means coupling 34 is now displaced oppositely (to the right) from longitudinal alignment with the rear coupling 32 so that a succeeding depression of the plunger member V26 acts oppositely through the toggle means 30 on the latch member 28 to rock it oppositely about the fulcrum point 42 thereof from engagement with the forward barrel shoulder 22, as seen in Fig. 4, for movement rearwardly to assume again the Fig. l position as the plunger member 26 is released. This cycle of operation can thereupon be repeated at will, each successive depression of the plunger member 26 causing the latch member 28 to rock alternately about the fulcrum points 42 and 44 in a direction opposite to that of the preceding depression as the latch member 2S moves to and from retracted or projected positions.

The Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 embodiments illustrate modied structures that operate in exactly the same manner. In Fig. 5, the difference consists in providing a toggle means 30 that is pivotally connected through pivot pins 32 and 34 vwith respective plunger and latch members 26 and 28 of the same general form previously described; while Fig. 6 shows a wedge-shaped toggle means 30" of double ended form seated for pivoting at grooves 32 and 34 formed respectively at the forward face of a plunger member 26 and rear end face of a latch member 28 that are otherwise of the same type employed in the previously described embodiments, except that plunger member 26 is rearwardly reduced in cross section to receive a bias spring 48 thereon to act forwardly from a rear end barrel shoulder 10 in opposition a second bias spring 50 bottomed at the rear face of the barrel screw fitting 12 to act rearwardly on a shouldered clutch sleeve for the writing unit 14".

The present invention has been described above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a writing instrument having a barrel, a writing unit slidably housed therein, an operating mechanism for shifting said writing unit between projected and retracted positions, and means biasing sm'd writing unit toward retracted position; said operating mechanism including a Aplunger slidably disposed for longitudinal displacement within the barrel, a latch member shaped for sliding longitudinally in said barrel upon depression of said plunger and for fulcrummed, transverse rocking therein with respect to the rear end of said writing unit and within said barrel in opposite directions, and a toggle member disposed between the plunger and the latch member and having the respective forward and rearward ends thereof pivoted on said latch member and plunger, respectively, and the forward end of said toggle member being displaced from longitudinal alignment with the rearward end thereof when the latch member is either in its retracted `or projected position so that depression of the plunger rear of said writing unit shaped for sliding longitudinally in said barrel upon depression of said plunger and for fulcrummed, transverse rocking therein in opposite directions about fulcrum points substantially intermediate its length, and a toggle member disposed between the plunger and latch member having respective forward and rearward ends pivoted on the latch member and plunger, respectively, said forward toggle member end being displaced Vfrom longitudinal alignment with the rearward end thereof when the latch member is either in its retracted or projected position so that each successive depression of said plunger causes rocking of said latch member in a direction opposite to that of the preceding depression.

3. In a writing instrument having a barrel, a writing unit slidably housed therein, an operating mechanism for shifting said writing unit between projected and retracted positions, means biasing said writing unit toward retracted position, and means arranged within said barrel for securing said latch member in latching relation at said projected and retracted positions; said operating -mechanism including a plunger slidably disposed for longitudinal displacement within the rear end of the barrel, a latch member at the rear of said writing unit shaped for sliding longitudinally in said barrel upon depression of said plunger and for fulcrummed, transverse rocking with respect to the rear end of said Writing unit and within said barrel in opposite directions about fulcrum points substantially intermediate the latch member length, and a toggle member disposed between the plunger and the latch Vmember having respective forward and rearward ends pivoted on the latch member and plunger, respectively, said forward end being displaced from longitudinal alignment with the rearward end when the latch member is either in its retracted or projected position so that each successive depression of said plunger causes rocking of said latch member in a direction opposite to that of the preceding depression.

4. In a Writing instrument having a barrel, a Writing unit slidably housed therein, an operating mechanism for shifting said writing unit between projected and retracted positions, means biasing said Writing unit toward retracted position, `and means arranged within said barrel for securing said latch member in latching relation at said projected and retracted positions; said operating mechanism including a plunger slidably disposed for longitudinal displacement within the rear end of the barrel, a latch member at the rear of said writing unit shaped for sliding longitudinally in said barrel upon depression of said plunger and for fulcrummed transverse rocking with respect to the rear end of said Writing unit and within said barrel in opposite directions about fulcrum points substantially intermediate the latch member length, and a toggle member disposedbetween the plunger and the latch member having forward Iand rearward ends pivoted on the latch member and plunger, respectively, said forward toggle member end being `displaced from longitudinal alignment with the rearward end thereof when the latch member is either in its retracted or projected position so that each successive depression of said plunger causes rocking of said latch member about `alternate fulcrum points in a direction opposite to that of the preceding v depression.

5. A ball point writing instrument having a barrel, a writing unit slidably arranged within said barrel, spring means biasing said writing unit rearward within said barrel, and-a molded plastic operating means disposed at the forward and rearward flexible couplings where the toggle member joins the latch member and the plunger member, respectively, said forward ilexible coupling being displaced from longitudinal alignment with the rearward exible coupling when the latch member is either in its retracted or projected position so lthat each successive depression of said plunger member causes rocking of said latch member in `a direction opposite to that of the preceding depression.

6. A ball point writing instrument having a barrel, a writing unit slidably arranged within said barrel, spring means biasing said writing unit rearward within said barrel, a unitary molded plastic operating means disposed at the rear of the writing unit for shifting said writing unit between projected Aand retracted positions, and means arranged within said barrel for securing said latch member in latching relation at said projected and retracted positions; said operating means including a depressible plunger member slidably mounted within the rear end of said barrel, a latch member contained within said barrel at the rear end of said writing unit shaped for sliding longitudinally in said barrel upon depression of said plunger member and for ulcrummed, transverse rocking therein with respect to the rear end of said writing unit and within said barrel in opposite directions about fulcrum points substantially intermediate the latch member length, and a toggle means disposed between and connecting ythe plunger member and the latch member, said toggle means having waisted sections at its extremities forming forward and rearward flexible couplings where it joins the latch member and the plunger member, and said for? Ward flexible coupling being displaced from longitudinal alignment with the rearward flexible coupling when the latch member is either in its retracted or projected position so that each successive depression of said plunger member causes rocking yof said latch member about alternate fulcrum points in a direction opposite to that of the preceding depression as the latch member moves to and from its retracted or projected position.

7. A ball point writing instrument as defined in claim 6 `and further characterized in that lthe latch engaging means comprises two oppositely arranged, forwardly facing shoulders spaced longitudinally interiorly of the barrel.

8. A ball point writing instrument as defined in claim 7 fand further characterized in that the latch member is formed yat the forward end lthereof with two, oppositely arranged, laterally extending arms having rearwardly facing abutment portions that alternately engage the forwardly facing shoulders arranged interiorly of the barrel upon successive depressions of the plunger member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,557,054 Mansheim June 12, 1951 2,757,639 Wichman Aug. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 53,926 Germany Oct. 10, l1890 1,091,302 France Oct. 27, 1954 1,127,686 France ..g -..g Aug. 13, 19,56 

